Soft_Kitty_Cat

Update ... I am almost done! We get a summer break, and then I graduate in December after Psych and Management. I moved to a location nearer to the school, and I continue to work part-time. It has taken a lot of work and discipline to get to this point - very well worth it, but I am soooo tired! I have to manage my time between attending lectures, doing 12 hour clinicals, writing up care plans/case studies, doing presentations/papers plus other extra requirements, reading the textbook, studying, and working 5 hours 5 days a week. AND, let's not forget SNA and community involvement. I'd just like to say that if you really want it, it can be achieved!

it's time to purchase shoes to start my very first clinical after spring break. we are told that we must wear nursing shoes. just doing a pre-search online to see what's out there, i have seen shoes that are labeled nursing shoes that look like regular tennis shoes, and there are some that look like "old granny" shoes, and there are some that look kind of "hip" and feminine. aside from just going to the available stores that carry them and trying them on for comfort, what look exactly is san jac asking for when they say they must be nursing shoes?

I'm not kmbridges, but I got into San Jac through option A! :w00t: Wasn't my first choice since it is a distance away from where I live, but I will make the sacrifice and go wherever I can get in. I'm just scared of not having enough time because of all the driving I will have to do in addition to working part-time. I went to orientation and heard testimony from some first-year nursing students who had to quit their jobs in order to keep up with the school work. I'm not in a position where I can quit. Does anyone else who attended/attends San Jac have any advice?

I didn't want to leave anyone hanging (as if you really cared ). Just wanted to let you know what happened. I tried to turn in my acceptance letter to Kingwood, and when I did, I was told that I was not going to get in because my immunizations were not going to be completed by the deadline. I tried to tell the lady that she was the one that advised me to still try and to get the 2 shots and titer and go to the orientation, but she still made a stink about it as if she did not remember or never said such a thing. So, I said forget it and didn't go to the orientation. Luckily, San Jacinto College accepted me to their ADN program (an hour drive away though). I just finished their 2 day orientation. They are lenient in regard to their requirement for the Hep B immunizations and don't really have a deadline. They said you complete it when you complete it and that's that. As for everything else needed (background check, physical exam, CPR certification), they give us plenty of time to get that done (Jan. 9) so there is no stress in trying to rush to get it all done this month. But, I will still get them done way before then. Thanks to all who gave me advice prior. Good luck in your program and success to you all!

I have to also be CPR Healthcare Provider certified by January, but through the American Heart Association. If you go to their website, you can find places other than the school that will offer certification. For example, there is a place in Spring that offers the exact certification we need every Saturday from 9 a.m til 1 p.m. for $65. There of course are other locations; you just have to enter in your zipcode to find facilities near you.

Sorry for the late response. Montgomery College is offering Hep B vaccinations on Nov. 30. Your physician should be able to give you the vaccination, and I was also told you could go to the Health Department to get one. I think it is also offered by University of Texas Health Services in the Medical Center. To get them done quickly, you would have to do the fast track schedule, which would be vaccinations spaced out one month apart.

As far as I know, NHMCCD and HCC will accept applications without proof of immunization at the time of applying. But, you are responsible for meeting the requirements by the time of acceptance. I thought I took care of that part of the requirement to enter into the nursing program, but I was advised wrong. I hope you are right and that everything will be fine! I will let everyone know in case anyone ever has this particular problem, too.

Texancanadian, I'm sorry to have caused you any panic. The only test done on me was a Hepatitis B Core IGM which indicated non-reactive for antibodies. Reference range given states non-reactive. This lab test was conducted by Quest Diagnostics. I'm pretty sure that testing of the blood and interpretation of the results is universal. Peggy Aaulund from Kingwood and Mary Ilene from Cy-Fair both advised me to go ahead and get as many vaccines done as I could in the allotted time frame and recheck the titer, then submitting whatever I had completed on Dec. 15. They both said it was not up to them to make final judgements on that aspect of acceptance, but to do try anyway. I can only surmise that maybe our doctors were so busy that they just reported the results to us as being negative for Hep B, not referring back to our records or remembering the real reason for the test was to check for immunity so as to determine the need for vaccination. I guess when they received our lab results, their first inclination without checking our records was that we were tested to check if we had Hep B, not to check for immunity since maybe many people only get tested for Hep B to see if they are infected. I sure do hope everything works out okay for you!

According to my Hepatitis B core antigen lab results from March, it says that I am non-reactive for the Hep B antibodies. It has been confirmed by the nursing director that I have no immunity to Hep B when I presented the results to her thinking that I had immunity 'cause that's what the doctor told me. My heart dropped when she broke the news to me because I thought I had prepared well in advance. I never thought twice to question what I was told by the doctor, so I never looked at the results. I had so many problems with that physician that I dropped her a couple of months ago. Now, I'm wondering if I should file a formal complaint against her to the Texas Medical Board, not just over this incorrect assessment but also over other problems I experienced with her. This is my first time applying to the NHMCCD nursing programs. I just found this website and had no idea it was so competitive and difficult to get accepted into either programs. I am retaking a class to improve my application score in case I don't get to start this Spring as I will definitely try again next period for Kingwood.

Thanks for the encouragement and advice, kellygirl_tx. I actually also made the alternate list for the LVN and ADN program at Kingwood. I missed the first two orientations there, but I now plan on attending the Kingwood orientation on the 29th even though I have accepted the Cy-Fair ADN program offer. I have orientation at Cy-Fair on the 30th, but I think I will also attend the Kingwood orientation just in case. I was hoping Kingwood would call me to fill a vacant spot. I live much closer to Kingwood than Cy-Fair and prefer Kingwood over Cy-Fair, but I want to start in the Spring and have to go with whomever will accept me. I just pray that I will be able to start despite this problem. Thanks again, and take care!

Hello! This is a re-post of my first post (before I found this thread), and sorry it's long... I decided earlier this year to change my major and apply for nursing school. So, in March I approached my physician at that time for a Hep B vaccination. She was more concerned about not being reimbursed by the insurance company, so she said that I should get a titer done instead to see if I even needed the vaccination. I was eventually told I didn't need to be vaccinated. I, thinking that all physicians can be trusted, took her word for it and never viewed the results or thought otherwise. Fast forward eight months later, and I find out that I actually did not have immunity (the doctor told me wrong). Now, I just got accepted into the program at Cy-Fair College (I was one of ten alternate candidates) and am worried that because of this incompetent doctor (who is no longer my physician), my chances to start in the Spring have been ruined despite my attempted advance preparation. I have only had one Hep B injection on Nov. 9 at North Harris College. I am to have the second injection on Dec. 8, but the deadline to complete the series is Dec. 15. I was told to get a titer done after the second vaccination to check for antibodies, but I don't know how likely it is that I will develop immunity so quickly. I am soooooo upset because I really wanted to start this Spring! I will still try since I have not formally been rejected because of this incompletion, but I think my efforts will be for naught. I guess if I look at the bright side, I will definitely be immunized by the next period. Thanks for listening.